It’s Christmas Eve. I’m sitting in the hotel room in Waikiki with the patio doors open and listening to the sounds of Hawaiian music and splashing in the pool while Cole naps. I heart Hawaii.
I realize it’s been a very, very long time since I’ve posted anything. Thank you for giving us the space to grow and live and enjoy our Summer in Seattle and Fall in Portland without posting any updates. I’ve been trying not to get too anxious about everything I haven’t documented and to just enjoy the moments. Obviously, a lot has happened with two growing boys.
Cole turned 1 year old a few months ago and just started walking 2 days before his 15th-month mark. He took a little break while we moved from Portland to build up his confidence and started back up with gusto during our first few days in Lanikai. I forgot how exciting it is when they realize they can move upright, the pride beaming from their little faces. Cole has always been our little ham, and he continues to be. He keeps us all smiling.
Max is a tremendous big brother, lending a hand or congratulating Cole on a new milestone. He will turn 3 in just over a week. He conquered potty training in early August, before I was even ready. We had to rush out and buy undies for the guy because he was over the pull-ups. Been there, done that. Max is forever surprising us with his athletic abilities. He prefers lefty in golf, basketball, and soccer, but can kick and throw with either side. He can throw a perfect spiral and can make swish-a-roos from a pretty good distance. He’s probably a lot like David at that age. Almost in perfect complement to his athletic and competitive abilities is his sweet and thoughtful side. The out-of-the-blue “I love you, Mama” is heaven-sent. The one he gives me when he knows he just did something wrong is still appreciated.
Right now, Cole is napping and Max is swimming with his cousins, Jack and Abby. And it’s Christmas Eve! You kind of lose track of the days when you’re on holiday. For me, Christmas means snow and cold and sledding and hot chocolate, rosy cheeks and fires in the fireplace. Not here. I’m smelling jasmine and plumeria in the wind. I don’t mind, of course, but it’s different. Still, a Merry Christmas!
Mele Kalikimaka,
The Behrs
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Green Lake 2014
Every year since my Dad passed, my family spends a week on Green Lake in Wisconsin for the July 4th holiday. Everyone comes (minus Biagio this year, but an opportunity in Alaska called) and everyone stays at the same lake house. All 13 of us this year! Before his passing, and before husbands and kids, Dad would rent "the cottage" for the entire summer. It was a tiny little place but there was a bed for each one of us, and enough chairs at the table. And until the later years, there wasn't even a TV. We learned to swim, fish, water ski, wake board and drive the boat. We played catch across the neighbors docks and had cannon ball jumping contests. We ate dinner outside under the trees by candle light almost every night. We played cards at the kitchen table on rainy days. We ran outside for night games with the neighbor kids after dark. We made life-long friends. It's pretty amazing to think that we've been going back for over 21 years. Green Lake is one of my most favorite places in the world. I thank my parents for making summers on the lake a priority. It has shaped my life and it's something I'm so happy to be able to share with my kids.
Here are some pictures from our trip this year:
So happy to share another great week with family and lake family! Let's do it again in 2015!
Here are some pictures from our trip this year:
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| Cole and Vivianna |
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| Love this picture of the Beckers |
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| Max (2.5yrs), Cole (10 mos), Canaan (2.5yrs), and Vivi (7 mos) |
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| Sugarloaf |
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| Max and Canaan - bubbles are classic fun |
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| Max with Uncle Vinnie dockside |
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| Cole and Uncle Dom |
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| The goggles became an all-day accessory |
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| On the anniversary of our engagement! Fireworks by boat. |
So happy to share another great week with family and lake family! Let's do it again in 2015!
Friday, July 25, 2014
Salt Lake City to Seattle
We finally moved into our new home in Seattle on July 6th. Yaaaayyyy! It's been a non-stop adventure since we left Salt Lake City on June 18th, starting with 4 days on the road, a week visiting with David's parents in Steilacoom, a week-long trip to Wisconsin for the July 4th holiday, and concluding with our move into our Seattle Tree House on Sunday. I'm not sure I can do it justice in this post, but I will try.
We left SLC about noon and reached Jackson, WY late that night. David found a cozy little ski resort condo for us to spend 2 nights so that we could enjoy the mountain town and Grand Teton National Park. On our first visit to the park, we found Jenny Lake, just inside the Moose Junction entrance. We took the boat across the lake and hiked from the boat landing to Inspiration Falls and back. The peaks were absolutely gorgeous dotted in snow against the blue skies. While the boys took a quick nap in the car, David and I drove to Jackson Lodge and back to the condo. The following day we hung out on the mountain for the morning and then made the drive north through Grand Teton National Park to Yellowstone National Park.
In Yellowstone, we quickly Googled the recent Old Faithful eruptions and pulled into the parking lot about 15 minutes before the next show. We couldn't have planned it better if we tried. Old Faithful was cool, but I enjoyed seeing the geysers along the changing terrain of the Geyser Basin while we drove north to West Yellowstone. Yellowstone was absolutely beautiful and I hope to go back and explore more in depth one day.
Once we exited the Park, we drove to Butte, MT and stopped for the night. From Butte the next morning, we drove west to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and spent most of the day playing at the beach park. Coeur d'Alene is absolutely gorgeous. I loved how the lake met the green mountains. After we thoroughly wore the boys out, we made the final leg through Washington State and arrived in Steilacoom about ten-thirty that night.
The boys had a great time catching up with Grammy and Opa in Steilacoom. Cole showed off his newest moves - planks and pikes and superman poses - and Max practiced kicking goals and pitching. He and Opa also planted some flowers in the garden.
The road trip was a great start to what is shaping up to be an amazing summer here in Seattle. More pictures from July 4th and the summer soon!
We left SLC about noon and reached Jackson, WY late that night. David found a cozy little ski resort condo for us to spend 2 nights so that we could enjoy the mountain town and Grand Teton National Park. On our first visit to the park, we found Jenny Lake, just inside the Moose Junction entrance. We took the boat across the lake and hiked from the boat landing to Inspiration Falls and back. The peaks were absolutely gorgeous dotted in snow against the blue skies. While the boys took a quick nap in the car, David and I drove to Jackson Lodge and back to the condo. The following day we hung out on the mountain for the morning and then made the drive north through Grand Teton National Park to Yellowstone National Park.
In Yellowstone, we quickly Googled the recent Old Faithful eruptions and pulled into the parking lot about 15 minutes before the next show. We couldn't have planned it better if we tried. Old Faithful was cool, but I enjoyed seeing the geysers along the changing terrain of the Geyser Basin while we drove north to West Yellowstone. Yellowstone was absolutely beautiful and I hope to go back and explore more in depth one day.
Once we exited the Park, we drove to Butte, MT and stopped for the night. From Butte the next morning, we drove west to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and spent most of the day playing at the beach park. Coeur d'Alene is absolutely gorgeous. I loved how the lake met the green mountains. After we thoroughly wore the boys out, we made the final leg through Washington State and arrived in Steilacoom about ten-thirty that night.
The road trip was a great start to what is shaping up to be an amazing summer here in Seattle. More pictures from July 4th and the summer soon!
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
And then there were 2 (weeks left)
Um, yeah. Just two weeks left.
We recently had to move out of our rental for 4 days because the owners had another reservation booked before our lease started. So, what we originally thought to be a huge inconvenience turned out to be a good dry run for our impending move to Seattle. We loaded up all of our belongings into a locked utility closet, disassembled the cribs, and packed the car for a little vacay in Park City. The weather forecast, which initially was cold and rainy, kindly transformed into a warm and sunny weekend. We had an awesome time exploring the park and town, hiking/biking a trail, visiting with friends, and enjoying some relaxing mountain time.
My friend Lindsey flew out from Denver and stayed with us in Park City. I really appreciated her go-with-the-flow, willing to help attitude through our fun but sometimes chaotic routine. I'm so glad we had time to catch up and relax together this weekend.
David brought his golf clubs to Park City, in hopes we might be able to play. In the end, it didn't work out, but Max got really into hitting balls in the front yard, and David sneaked out to the private country club in our backyard 2 out of 4 nights to play a few holes.
Max had a blast riding the Farm Trail in Park City. I was amazed how fearless he was going downhill. It was more nerve wracking because we somehow forgot to bring his helmet to the trail head.
And then there was the moose sighting at the playground...unbelieveable! We saw the evidence of their presence upon our arrival, but were still in awe when we heard and then saw them cross the parking lot in front of us. A mom and baby. Wow!
Now that we're back, I'm hesitant to fully unpack and am enjoying the very simple display of personal belongings because it's less work for me in the end. It makes me think I could probably downsize my things and perhaps some of the boys' toys by about 30%. Besides, it makes for a much more comfortable ride in the car during our move. Challenge? I'm game.
Last but not least, here is a picture of Cole's two new teeth. One right after the other, causing quite the stir this weekend. He's not a fan of the process, but loves to crunch his baby snacks.
We recently had to move out of our rental for 4 days because the owners had another reservation booked before our lease started. So, what we originally thought to be a huge inconvenience turned out to be a good dry run for our impending move to Seattle. We loaded up all of our belongings into a locked utility closet, disassembled the cribs, and packed the car for a little vacay in Park City. The weather forecast, which initially was cold and rainy, kindly transformed into a warm and sunny weekend. We had an awesome time exploring the park and town, hiking/biking a trail, visiting with friends, and enjoying some relaxing mountain time.
My friend Lindsey flew out from Denver and stayed with us in Park City. I really appreciated her go-with-the-flow, willing to help attitude through our fun but sometimes chaotic routine. I'm so glad we had time to catch up and relax together this weekend.
David brought his golf clubs to Park City, in hopes we might be able to play. In the end, it didn't work out, but Max got really into hitting balls in the front yard, and David sneaked out to the private country club in our backyard 2 out of 4 nights to play a few holes.
Max had a blast riding the Farm Trail in Park City. I was amazed how fearless he was going downhill. It was more nerve wracking because we somehow forgot to bring his helmet to the trail head.
And then there was the moose sighting at the playground...unbelieveable! We saw the evidence of their presence upon our arrival, but were still in awe when we heard and then saw them cross the parking lot in front of us. A mom and baby. Wow!
Now that we're back, I'm hesitant to fully unpack and am enjoying the very simple display of personal belongings because it's less work for me in the end. It makes me think I could probably downsize my things and perhaps some of the boys' toys by about 30%. Besides, it makes for a much more comfortable ride in the car during our move. Challenge? I'm game.
Last but not least, here is a picture of Cole's two new teeth. One right after the other, causing quite the stir this weekend. He's not a fan of the process, but loves to crunch his baby snacks.
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